The answer is usually no. Most plants are considered autotrophs. That means they make their own food. Being able to make your own food is a pretty neat trick. Most green plants capture the sun’s energy and combine it with the nutrients they absorb from the soil through their roots to make sugars which feed the plant. This process is called photosynthesis. Photo means “light” and synthesis means to “make” or “build.” Plants use light to make food.

What happens when plants don’t get enough light or enough nutrition from the soil they grow in? Well most plants wouldn’t survive in these conditions. But, some plants have adapted different ways to handle these tough conditions. Adaptation is the process by which plants and animals are able to better survive in their environment or take advantage of new habitats. Adaptations help plants and animals to develop new survival strategies.

One such strategy is found in carnivorous plants. That’s right, plants that eat meat! These plants grow in such nutrient poor conditions they can’t make enough of their own food to survive. So just like a carnivore they consume meat. But they don’t hunt down prey or use their sharp teeth or claws. Plants don’t have these adaptations and they don’t exactly move around.

Carnivorous plants have adapted ingenious ways of capturing their prey, typically insects. Carnivorous plants use several techniques to capture insects. One of the most well-known carnivorous plants, the Venus Fly-trap, waits for an insect to land on its leaves and then springs shut trapping the insect inside. Most other carnivorous plants set traps but none are as dramatic as the Venus Fly-trap.

Pitcher plants grow tall and their leaves form a tube that holds water and special chemicals called enzymes that help it to digest its prey. The tubes of the pitcher plant also contain sweet nectar which attracts insects. When insect enter the tubes they are able to crawl down the tube but can’t escape because the inside of the tube is covered with tiny hair like structures that keep the insect from leaving...yikes!

Other carnivorous plants such as Sun dews have very sticky leaves that attract insects. Once insects land on these leaves they find themselves stuck in a sticky mess. The plant will then slowly wrap its leaves around the insect and begin to digest the unfortunate visitor.

Did you know that plants did this? Did you know that carnivorous plants are found here is the Southeast? Can you think of other adaptations that plants an animals use to survive? What if you could create your own plant or animal? Try this fun activity:

Adaptation Artistry:
Take out a big sheet of paper markers or crayons and put your thinking caps on. You will be creating you own animal that is specially adapted to its environment. Answer the list of questions below and then imagine what this animal will look like. Draw the animal and give it a name. Don’t forget to share your creation with your family and friends. You can create animals with your family and friends and create a whole world of interesting critters.

1) How does the animal move around? Does it fly, walk, slither….?
2) What does the animal eat? Is it a carnivore, herbivore, or omnivore…?
3) How does the animal eat? How does it capture its prey? Does it make its own food?
4) How does the animal reproduce? Does it lay eggs or give birth to babies…?
5) Where does it live? Does it live in the ocean, the forest, or another planet…?

See if your animal resembles any other adaptations you know of in the animal world. Remember to be creative and have fun.